'Dravid's mind was not in the game' - Bhupinder Singh

Bhupinder Singh Sr, the North Zone representative in India's selection committee, has come down hard on Rahul Dravid, saying that his "mind was not on the game" during India's recent tour against South Africa.

This was only the second time in his career that Dravid had gone thorough a three-Test series without managing a half-century, ending with a poor average of 20.83. "I just feel that Dravid's mind was not on the game," Bhupinder told Mid-Day, a Mumbai-based tabloid. "Maybe the poor form of the top order was affecting his confidence. We all know what he is capable of and lack of runs from his bat definitely wasn't helping our cause.

"Dravid is like a bedrock on which our batting revolves. He looked a far cry from the kind of batsmanship we are used to seeing from him. In fact, the whole batting department was a big disappointment."

Former India allrounder Roger Binny was also disappointed with Dravid's efforts. "Rahul has been one of our batting mainstays over the years," he told the same paper. "I have never seen him struggle like he did in South Africa. He seemed to get himself into a rut. In our playing days, we had Sunil Gavaskar, who would go on to play a long innings once he is well settled. Ditto for Dravid. If he gets his eye in, he's difficult to get rid off. But he was really struggling in South Africa."

Chief cricket selector Dilip Vengsarkar blamed the batsmen as well. "The batting really collapsed," he said while speaking to reporters on landing in Mumbai. "I think that was our strong point, but they really messed it up. That's what I feel."